Newsom Moves to Erase GOP Power

Sheila Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com
Sheila Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com

California’s ruling Democrats are going for broke, and they’re not even pretending otherwise. Governor Gavin Newsom and his allies in the legislature have unveiled a brazen mid-decade redistricting plan that would shred long-standing Republican districts and hand Democrats an even tighter grip on power.

The proposed House map, rushed out on a Friday night, would eliminate or drastically reshape five Republican-held districts. If it sticks, the state’s 52-member congressional delegation could end up with 48 Democrats and just four Republicans—a paltry 8% GOP presence in one of America’s most populous states.

This maneuver comes as a direct response to Texas, where Republicans are advancing a map expected to flip several Democrat seats red. But while Texas is moving within normal political boundaries, California’s play is openly designed to crush dissent. Newsom himself admitted the goal: to “neutralize” what Texas is doing. He wants to cement a one-party state, and the new lines prove it.

Veteran Republicans like Doug LaMalfa and Ken Calvert, who’ve represented their districts for decades, are suddenly staring down elimination. LaMalfa’s sprawling northern district, a conservative stronghold since 1981, would be chopped up and shoved into deep-blue wine country where Kamala Harris pulled 70% of the vote in 2024. Calvert’s longtime Inland Empire district would be wiped off the map entirely and replaced with a Democrat-heavy carve-out east of Los Angeles.

Darrell Issa, Kevin Kiley, and David Valadao—each with strong records and recent wins—are also in the crosshairs. Kiley, who beat one of Newsom’s handpicked candidates just last cycle, now finds his district stuffed with Sacramento Democrats to guarantee his defeat. Issa’s district, once solidly Republican, would be tilted left. Even Valadao’s Central Valley seat, which swung back toward Trump in 2024, would be made more Democrat-friendly.

It doesn’t stop there. Vulnerable Democrats like Adam Gray, Josh Harder, Mike Levin, and others would also see their districts fortified, ensuring their political survival. This isn’t reform. It’s raw, calculated power politics.

Republicans are fighting back. Calvert blasted the plan as an illegal scheme to take power away from California’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission—a system voters themselves created to keep politicians from drawing their own lines. Kiley echoed that sentiment, saying the people wanted to take the politics out of redistricting, but Newsom is trying to stuff it right back in.

The nine Republicans in California’s House delegation issued a joint statement denouncing the governor’s ballot measure, warning voters that their right to fair representation is at stake. “Governor Newsom is trying to grab power away from the citizens,” they said. “All Californians should vote NO on this attempt to eliminate the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission’s ability to draw fair congressional districts.”

The stakes couldn’t be higher. If Democrats succeed, Republicans will be locked out of California politics more than ever, silencing millions of conservative voices. And if California sets this precedent, what’s to stop other blue states from following suit?

This isn’t about fair maps or democracy—it’s about Democrats cementing permanent control, no matter what voters say. And unless Californians push back hard in November, Newsom’s gerrymander could become the blueprint for one-party rule.


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